Lasting-machine.



R. REID.

LASTING MAcn'mE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1. 915- 1,261,959. Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

INVEN'HIIV:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT REID, 0F BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ANDREW S. REID, 0F BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS.

LASTING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

Application illed'J'une 7, 1915. Serial No. 32,476.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Rom-m1 REID, a citizen of the United States, residin at Beverly, county of Essex, State of assachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Lasting-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawin s.

Elly invention has for its object a. new and improved machine for lasting shoes, the particular object being to make it possible to stitch the upper directly to the insole while the upper is still under the tension exerted upon it by the lasting machine; also to make it possible to do away with the use of tacks by means of which the upper is secured to the last after having been lasted; also with the tacks by which the insole is temporarily secured to the last.

In a machine cmbodyingmy invention the upper is put into the machine, the last is put in place and the machine then stretches the upper over the last and into position adjacent the insole, holding it firm y in position. The machine is so constructed that a separable and portable unit is provided, including a last. air bag, and receptacle therefor, so that after the lasting has been done the said parts together with the insole and upper, the upper having been stretched into proper position and being still under tension, may be removed bodily, and carried to a suitable fastening machine by means of which the upper and insole are secured togethcr. The machipe is so constructed that the insole is held in proper position on the last by the machine itself thereby doing away if desired with the necessity of tacking the insole temporarily to the last. For the purpose of stretching the upper over the last and retainin it in lace after it has been stretched and until he fastening takes place, I employ pnepmatic pressure conveyed from an air reservoir to said air bag. I am aware that it has been proposed to use pneumatic pressure to last shoes, but the proposed devices have not been constructed so as to force the edges of an upper out over the edge of an insole sidewise and therefore are wholly incapable of stretching the leather properly, as is done by the ordinary mechanical lasting machine, or by a workman. Furthermore, no provision has been made to enable the insole and u per to be united while the upper is still un er tension.

In this specification I have referred to fastening mechanism, by the operation of which the upper and insole are secured to-,

gether. I do not limit myself to stitching mechanism, as other means may be employed and are included in the term fastening mechanism.

I believe myself to be the first to devise a lasting machine in which the insole is positioned by means of a member contacting with the bottom of the insole at a point well within and away from the line along which the upper and insole are united by stitching or otherwise, in order that the parts of the shoe may be secured together without the support interfering with the operation of securing the arts together. I am also the first to com ine said means with means to stretch the upper by pneumatic pressure, and to hold it in position as long as required, thus, if desired permitting the lasted shoe to be carried around the shop to various machines such as sewing, nailing, screwing machines, etc., to fasten the sole to the upper and to be readily handled by the operator to present the proper portions of the work to the machine, the shoe being still undo: pneumatic pressure. This system of lasting shoes and of securing the upper to the sole I believe to be novel.

The parts are also so combined that during the operation of securing the upper to the sole, the receptacle, air bag, last and shoe can be turned while the support is holding the sole in position on the last, and is holding the shoe lasted, thus enabling the operator to present the proper portlons to the machine.

These and other novel features of this invention will be claimed in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention in the form which I consider to be the best but it will be understood that it is readily capable of modification and I do not limit myself to the particular form shown as the invention is a broad one.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a device embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the last holder and attached parts.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section thereof.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the said parts.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section similar to Fig. 3 but showing the air bag expanded by the pressure.

In the drawings, and in the preferred embodiment of my invention, at A is shown a base and at B a table. At 11, is shown a bracket rovided with two holes 12, 12, to receive owels or pegs 13, 13 in the top of the table B so that the unit of which the bracket forms a part may be quickly and conveniently detached from the table.

At 14 is shown the last holder having a hollow space therein within which projects a spindle 15 on which is received the last 16. The last holder 14 has an opening 17 of the general size and shape of the bottom of the shoe to be lasted, but sli htly larger. The side ed es 0. of the said l ast holder project inward y toward the last on a level about that of the bottom of the last. The opening or space between the last and the interior of the last holder is narrower or constricted around the edge of the last. The last holder is made conveniently of aluminum or other light material to make it convenient to handle.

At 18 is shown a downwardly projecting tube or stem provided with a shoulder 19. The stem 18 passes down throu h a hole in the bracket 11 and a correspon ing hole in the table B. The upper arm of the bracket 11 is so located as to project over the center of the ball of the last and is forked at its end as shown at 20 to form bearings to receive a swinging pin 21 pivoted on trunnions 22 in the sai bearings.

The bracket and the swinging pin to; 'ether form what I term the sup ort. This pport performs the two fold unction of "ntioning the insole on the last, this func- '1 heretofore having been performed by (s, etc., and of resisting the pressure ex- :d on the last by the lasting instrumen- .ities. The swingin pin ermits the suport to be instantly a justecl against the inole. etween the last 16 and the last holder 14 and covering an area approximately that of the upper is placed a ollow elastic air bag 23 connected by a tube 24 and separable connection 25 with an air pipe 26 leading to an air tank 27 or other suitable source of suppl of air under pressure. Said tube 24 exten s downwardly through the stem 18.

The air ba 23 is of varying cross section transversely ing thinner at the center as shown at b in Fig. 3 and thicker lHHIil \l i I sides as shown at c c. The side eri w shown at d d are also relatively thick. l ltls construction'is such that when in rest tlnside edges (Z (Z will be at a point '.'()ll.-.llv'!- ably below the bottom of the last and [Ininturned edge a of the last holder, and that. when air under pressure is admitted, the air bag will stretch laterally beginning at the center where it is weakest and continuing until the edge 0! is forced into the space he tween the inturned edge a of the last holder and the edge of the lust. It will be seen that the tendency is therefore for the air bag to work the upper sidcwise from the median line toward the edges thus lasting the upper with absolute nicety and perfection. At 28 is shown a valve by means of which the escape of air from the interior of the air bag is prevented, said valve being provided with a stem 29 by means of which it may be opened when it is desired to re lease the' pressure. At 30 is shown a valve by means of which the supply of compressed air-from the tank is controlled. The scpa rable connection 25 ailords means by which the air bag may be quickly detached from the air reservoir, the air in the air bag being retained by the valve.28. It will be seen that the hinged member 21 is directly in line with the stem 18 of the last holder 14 so that the last holder and last may be swung about their common axis when desired without roleasing the shoe'from'tho pressure exerted on the up eril'by the air bag. It will be seen that tie "member 21 contacts with um insole at a point well within the line of union betwii'the upper and insole to permit the two being operated upon by a machine as for instance a sewing machine, while still under ressure. It will also be seen that when it is desired to take the shoe out, this may be easily accomplished by re leasing the pressure on the air bag by means of the valve 29. In the operation of my machine in the form shown in the drawings, the bracket and last holder are put in place on the table B. The air pipe 26 is connected with the tube 24. The insole is then laid on the bottom of the last and the upper put in lace. The last is then inserted in the last older on the peg 15 and the hinged member .21 turned down into contact with the insole, thus holding the insole in its proper position. Air is then admitted by the valve 30 and fills the air bag expanding it. This causes the edges of the air bag to force themselves up into the constricted space between the inturned edges a of the last holder-and the adjacent portion of the last stretching the upper forcibly sidewise and retaining the whole in position so long as the air pressure is maintained in the air bag. The parts are then 'in the position shown in Fig. 5. The connection 25 is then severed but the ressure does not esca e from the air bag bein retained therein y the check valve 28. T e upper may then be tacked or the unit comprising the last holder, 6 insole su port air ba last and shoe thereon ma be lifted botfily from the table B and ta en to the fastening machine by means of which the upper and insole may be permanently secured together. The fastening 10 may be done in any suitable manner as by stitching or metal fastening. If desired the upper may be tacked to the last in the manner previously employed and the stitching done subsequently, but under ordinary conditions it is more economical and .exactly satisfactory to stitch the upper to the insole at once without going through the unnecessary and expensive operation of tacking. The method of fastening will of course vary with the kind of shoes to be made-whether Goodyear welt, turn, McKay, Standard screw, etc.

During the stitching operation the last and last holder can be swung relatively to the support as required thus giving more convenient access to the portion of the shoe to be stitched. The air pressure is not released until after the stitching has been done.

As the parts composing the unit can be made of light metal or similar material they are easy and convenient to handle.

What I claim is: 1. A lasting machine including an air 85 bag to contact with the vamp and quarters of the shoe to be lasted, said air bag being of a shape to fit about the said vamp and quarters and being thinner at that portion which lies adjacent the median line of the vamp of the shoe and being thicker elsewhere whereby the stretching of the air bag begins along said line.

- 2. The combination of a last, and a last holder surrounding the portion of the last on which the upper is to be lasted and an air bag interposed between the said upper and the said last, said air bag being thinner along the median line of the last than it is elsewhere.

3. A pneumatic lasting machine comprising a last, means for holding the last substantially rigid, a last holder, and an air bag interposed between said last and said last holder, said air bag being thinner at the center and thicker at the edges whereby a sidewise stretching of the upper is produced.

4. A pneumatic lasting machine comprising a last, a last holder, an air bag interposed between the last and the last holder, and a support acting in opposition to the pressure exerted by the air bag and at a point within the line of stitching about the edge of the shoe.

5. A pneumatic lasting machine comprising a last, and a member about said last and having a chamber therein for the reception of fluid under pressure, said member having a flexible wall adjacent the last and a support acting in opposition to the pressure exerted by the fluid within the said chamber and at a point within the line of stitching about the edge of the shoe.

6. A pneumatic lasting machine comprising a last, a last holder, an air bag interposed between the last and the last holder, a support opposite the bottom of the last and adapted to prevent movement of the last away from the last holder, and means for supplying air under pressure to the interior of the air bag.

7. A pneumatic lasting machine comprising a last, a last holder, an air bag interposed between the last and the last holder, a support opposite the ball of the last contacting with the insole on the last and adapted to. prevent movement of the last away from the last holder and to hold the insole in position on the last, and means for supplying air under pressure to the interior of the last holder.

8. A pneumatic lasting machine comprising a last, a last holder, an air bag interposed between said last and said last holder, and means contacting with the insole on the last to prevent movement of the last away from the last holder when air under pressure is admitted to the last holder, said means being rotatable relatively to the last, last holder, and air bag to give access to the edge of the insole to permit the fastening operation to be performed.

9. A pneumatic lasting machine comprising a source of air under pressure, a tube connected therewith, an air bag, a detachable connection with said air bag, a valve to prevent the escape of air from the air bag, a last, and a last holder, said air bag being interposed between said last holder and the last, said last, air bag, and bolder forming a separable unit which may be carried to another machine by which the insole and upper will be secured together.

10. The improved lasting machine com prising a bracket, a last holder rotatable relatively to the bracket and having a cavity therein, a last, an air bag in said cavity, said air bag being interposed between said last holder and the said last, and a support for holding the last in line with the axls of rotation of the last holder on the bracket.

11. The improved lasting machine comprising a bracket, a last holder having a cavity therein of the general shape of the last, and having a stem extending through said bracket and on which said last holder is rotatable relatively to said bracket, a last in said cavity, an air bag interposed between the said last holder and the said last and an air pipe extending through the stem of said last holder, said last holder being rotawith inturned edges closely adjacent the table on said stem. bottom surface of the last and forming with 12. The combination of a last, a last the last a constricted opening around the 10 holder surrounding a portion of the last on ed e of the last. 5 which the upper is to be lasted, and an air n testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

bag interposed between the said upper and the said last, said last holder being provided ROBERT REID. 

